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Carriage & Wagon Works News

SECR 2-Plank Ballast Wagon No.567

The completed wagon stands outside the C&W Works on 30 May 2012,
lettered for the SECR Permanent Way Department (Richard Salmon).

Whilst the vehicle entered service at the 4 November 2011 Vintage Trains event (as seen in Dave Clarke's photo below),
it was at that stage unlettered. By the time of David Chappell's photo, taken on 13 May 2012, this had been completed.
Finally, Stephen Leek's photo shows it immediately behind the H-class in this photo charter on 21st November 2012.

The web page for this wagon - The Carriage & Wagon Works News page.

October/November 2011

567, fully painted but awaiting lettering stands in the sun with stablemate SECR 7-plank 5542, which has just returned from having its tyres reprofiled (funded by the Bluebell Railway Trust). Both will run in the forthcoming vintage goods train.

Replica resin numberplate for 567 cast from an altered master by Richard Salmon.

The side and end boards having a topcoat prior to fitting in the yard at Horsted Keynes.

The end planks for 567 in green undercoat inside the workshop at Horsted Keynes. These, like the side boards were given a primer, two undercoats and one topcoat before fitting (courtesy of Tom Simcock, Martin Skrzetuszewski and Ray Tanner).

October 2011

13 October 2011: A 30-plank floor has been fitted (by Martin Skrzetuszewski and Tom Simcock) and the edges of the boards planed and sanded to a nominal 3-inch radius (courtesy of John Coleman). Slots in the edge to accommodate the inner door hinges were cut by Tom Simcock. The cut edges of the previously tanalised floor boards were treated with Cuprinol. The end planks have been cut to size, initially fitted, drilled to take the bolts in the end tees and laid on the floor, where they have also been treated with Cuprinol. When dry they will be primed and painted up to top coat. We are still on course to have the wagon running for the end of the month – as long as everything that has been promised occurs! (MS)

The Tuesday gang have completed virtually all the metalwork, with new mounting brackets being made for the door latches. Packing pieces for the outer door hinges were cut, drilled and fitted, smaller packing pieces having been made previously for the inner hinges. The corner hinges were extended in height and the ends bent round – no mean task, as it involved heating, bending in our hydraulic press and welding. The brake gear, including the extended and modified brake levers, has also been fitted. (MS)

Close-up of the latch arrangement. The latch arms were shortened but still have to be ground into final shape. Similarly the tabs on the corner hinges will need to be ground to shape. (MS)

September 2011

The axleboxes have been removed from the wheel sets and have been cleaned up (courtesy of Lawrence) and painted. They are now ready to fit after the bearings have been refitted to the axle journals. (MS)

11 September 2011: The side door hinges have been cut (from some removed from scrap LMS 3-plank wagons) and re-welded by John Wilkes. These are now painted in top coat and are lying on the workbench ready to fit, together with a couple of brakegear safety loops that the late Pete Reid had made. New protector plates for the bodysides, where the bang springs hit the door, have been cut and drilled by Andrew Breeze and Doug Peskett and these are shown, ready to fit, hanging from the hooks above the bench: grit-blasting and painting care of Robert Macmillan and Tom Simcock. (MS)

The axleboxes have been removed from the wheel sets and have been cleaned up (courtesy of Lawrence) and painted. They are now ready to fit after the bearings have been refitted to the axle journals. (MS)

August 2011

Early in August the wagon underframe was raised and placed on steel trestles in place of the sleepers seen earlier. The last of the riveting, which was best done with the frame inverted, was then carried out. A week or two later the frame was turned over to sit the correct way up. The door bang springs and their mounting brackets were then riveted on, and the Tuesday gang refitted the overhauled drawgear.

The wheel sets for 567 were retrieved from the undergrowth and progressively needle-gunned, cleaned up and painted up to top coat by Paul Hailes, Tom Simcock, Ray Tanner, Robert Macmillan and Martin Skrzetuszewski.

The axleboxes have been removed and are receiving attention inside the shed while the bearings are checked. (MS)

The brake gear components have been progressively cleaned up and painted. (MS)

Brian Fenwick is milling the door latch blanks to the correct thickness in our workshop at Horsted Keynes. (MS)

The latch blanks will be bent and ground to final shape in due course. (MS)

30 August 2011: Eddie Carter is using an electric drill mounted on a magnetic base to drill the 60 holes in the top flanges of the solebars to take the floorboard holding-down bolts. Behind him Doug, Alan and Andrew are fitting one of the four repaired and repainted buffers. (MS)

July 2011

The situation on 19th July can be seen in the pictures below.

19 July 2011: The Tuesday volunteer gang have continued to hot-rivet the underframe components of 567 together. Other components for the wagon are also being cleaned up, inspected and repainted.In the foreground on the trolley can be seen the two drawbars for 567, eight of Mr Spencer's India rubber springs (four of which go on the end of each drawbar, as specified on the original SECR drawing) and the four new brackets which will support the curb rail and carry the door return or 'bang' springs.

There are still a few rivets required in the brackets which support the curb rail of the wagon; these need to be fitted with the frame inverted. Once they are fitted the frame can be righted and re-wheeled. Tom Simcock, David Chappell and Ray Tanner have been cleaning up sections of the underframe and painting them up to SECR dark grey. (MS)

A set of door return or 'bang' springs has been made by Eddie Carter and Doug Peskett. The material used was new 75x12mm strip steel, which is the metric equivalent of the 3" x 1/2" called for on the original drawing.

Here Eddie and Doug are seen shaping them on the hydraulic press in the C&W works. (MS)

A close-up of the work. Have you spotted the deliberate mistake yet? (MS)

One of the finished springs. (MS)

The four end door hinges started by Roger Barton have been coarse-milled to a uniform thickness by Brian Fenwick and the curves have been re-profiled by Martin Skrzetuszewski. Two now await filling of unwanted holes (by Dave Deeks) and re-drilling. (MS)

Meanwhile, the other 'old buffers' gang (Paul Hailes, Robert Macmillan and Martin Skrzetuszewski – none of us under 50 and we have seemingly done nothing other than refurbish ancient wagon buffers for the past few months!) has been busy needle-gunning, grit-blasting and painting. Two SECR-pattern buffers are shown in top-coat grey. These are supported while being painted by substantial 6x6 blocks of wood in place of the springs, seen in the background.

The buffer casting on the floor is cracked and is awaiting a welding repair. The two circular plates on the table are to be fitted at the end of the drawbars.

The short drawbar and the buffers in the foreground are for GW 87782. (MS)

This view shows the two castings which are mounted on the opposite side of the transverse underframe members to the drawbar rubber springs. The drawbar passes through the centre hole, while two rods in the outer holes connect the castings together.

The circular ring castings below fit inside the buffer heads to provide a packing and bearing surface for the buffer springs.

In the foreground is a replacement lift link for the brake gear which the late Pete Reid had made and painted himself (it has been sitting in the cupboard for a few years!). (MS)

May 2011

Roger Barton had produced and assembled the vast majority of the component parts for the underframe by early 2009 and was awaiting assistance with the riveting of the assembly. After a two-year hiatus in progress – which, it should be stressed, was not due to any volunteer working on 567 – work re-commenced this month with the intention of having this unique wagon completed for the SECR anniversary event in November 2011.

The Tuesday volunteer gang have undertaken to hot-rivet the underframe components together. After some preparation, some of the internal frame members were removed from the structure and had their end brackets riveted on inside the shed, where the task was easier to carry out. These were then returned to their positions in the underframe and were riveted-in the following week. Progress on the third Tuesday was excellent until the oxygen bottle ran out and the store was found to contain four empty bottles! A day for an ‘early bath’ at lunchtime.

15 May 2011: A view along the inverted underframe of 567, showing new rivets. An excellent start – but many more to do! (MS)

The east side curb rail assembly has been unbolted and removed to give access for the riveting of the transverse frame members. (MS)

Roger Barton has formed new handbrake lever ends for 567, as the design is unique to this type of wagon. (MS)

24 May 2011: Doug Peskett (right) has heated the rivet to almost molten in the portable forge. Andrew Breeze has picked it up with a small pair of tongs and placed it in position on the job – round head inside the headstock. (MS)

24 May 2011: John Wilkes (centre) holds the rivet in place with the pneumatic ‘holder-up’ while Eddie Carter forms the round ‘snap’ head with the pneumatic riveting gun. Conspicuous by his absence this week is gang member Alan Wood. (MS)

December 2006

Still upside down, more steelwork is seen having been added, including the main transverse members and the curb rail.

July 2006

With holes drilled in the new main underframe members, they are now being assembled, upside down (which is often easiest). Initially held by bolts, once the assembly is complete, these will be replaced by hot rivets.

The following three pictures and captions provided by Martin Skrzetuszewski show some of the work being carried on the underframe.

Roger Barton transfers dimensions from the old onto a new underframe cross-member. The drawgear is attached to these steel channels. New mounting brackets have been cut to length, size and drilled. These were freshly made today – just like Mr. Barton’s hallmark flask of coffee!

The wastage and fatigue cracking in the old underframe cross-member can be clearly seen. The brackets shown attach this to the solebars.

The solebars, headstocks and cross-members on 567’s underframe are new. Two recovered corner diagonals can be seen and recovered headstock brackets are in situ. The solebars have been drilled to take the recovered running gear, including side-spring shoes as shown.

May 2006

Two of Dave Clarke’s photos showing that work is now under way on the SECR wagons again. Here on the left the headstocks that had already been made for 567 are being finished and used as a guide for drilling one of the new headstocks for the identical underframe of SECR 7-plank No.16358.

The second photo shows the new solebars for the wagon bolted together to facilitate the drilling of holes at various positions along their length. The late Pete Reid provided the original inspiration for this project, and this wagon (along with the 9F loco, and the SECR wagon he bought for the Bluebell) will be a fitting tribute to his long dedication to the Railway.

The new steelwork has been paid for by the Bluebell Railway Trust, and all the work is being undertaken by volunteers (mainly, at this stage, Roger Barton).

2 April 2003

This was the worst of our four SECR 7-plank goods wagons. None of the 2-plank ballast wagons survive in preservation, and since they had identical underframes, it was decided to convert this former Port of Bristol wagon (we do not know its original SECR/SR numbers) to represent the 2-plank design. It is seen here having received some new mechanical parts. The new headstocks can be seen on top of the underframe, awaiting fitting. Two new solebars are also to be made.

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